PRAGMATICS 3rd YEAR : POLITENESS

1. Under what contextual circumstances will the following utterances, which employ bald-on-record strategies, be perfectly acceptable as polite? Watch out! Your shoelaces are undone! Mind the step! Raise you right arm! (doctor to patient) Scalpel! (doctor to nurse) Put your pencil down, the test is over! (teacher to class) Bring me the files on Brown. (executive to secretary) 2) Classify the following utterances into positive politeness strategies, negative politeness strategies and off-record strategies (i.e. performed by means of an implicature): 1. A: So what do you think about my boyfriend? B: Hes um unique. Ive never met anyone quite like him before. Positive 2. Youve changed your hair colour! to H Positive politness, notice, attend

3. You must be tired after having walked so much, here, take a seat! positive 4. Join the party, dog! 5. Maybe you could try to slow it down a bit. negative 6. I think you should kind of try not to fight so much with your sister, she is your only blood relative after all. negative 7. The presentation was due yesterday (teacher to student) 8. Im afraid your driving license has been suspended because you didnt pay the last ticket you received. 9. We forgot to tell you that the meeting has been postponed till further notice. negative

10.I just wanted to ask you if I could use your office for 5 minutes only. negative 11.I just wanted to see if I could borrow the blue shirt since you are not using it. 12. Here, try one of these delicious new cinnamon mints! to someone whose breath smells bad. 13. Does this room smell like pot or is it just me? 14.Perhaps someone forgot to what they were supposed to do. 3. Why are the following brief conversations impolite? A) Monica: Why hasn't he called me? Ross: Maybe because you told him not to?! B) Joey: What can we do? Ross: We should be adults and accept the situation Joey: We will call that plan B C) Ross about his speech to be delivered at a paleontology conference: Do you want to hear a little? Phoebe: Not even a little bit! D) Janice: So, I hear you hate me. Joey: I didn't say hate! I was very careful.

4. Specify which FTAs are performed in the following dialogue from the sitcom That 70s Show .(Forman kitchen: Hyde sitting at table eating cereal, in usual chair, while Kelso is wearing a jogging suit and headband] is by the counter cracking two eggs and putting them in a cup ashe throws the egg shells behind him) Kelso: Yeah, its a sweatband, Im wearing sweatbands now (Kelso cracks the second egg and throws it behind him as well) Hyde: What are you doing? Kelso: Well (shakes cup) police academy starts in a week so I gotta get in shape . . . So Im eating raw eggs, like Rocky (looks in cup)

Hyde: Kelso? Rocky, ate raw eggs cause he was training for a fight, if he was training to be a cop hed just flunk out of high school and grow a bad mustache Kelso: Oh, Im growing the bad mustache (laughs) (Eric walks in still wearing Donnas shirt and in his underwear as Fez walks behind him) Kelso: (looks at Eric) Ooh! Forman, just because theres a sale at Pennys doesnt mean you gotta buy everything Hyde: Hey, Fez, your suppose to bring your date home and then take her pants off (Eric walks over to sink where there is a hamper with laundry) Eric:Fellas, Im afraid your little jokes dont bother me (Fez sits on stool) because soon I will be starting my new life in Madison, where if I so choose I can wear ladies' clothes all I want Fez: (intrigued) Really? Where is this Madison? So I can go there and kick their dress-wearing asses. Guys, come on. Im all man, Im married to Erics slutty sister!